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Thanks Brad - will definitely include the link next week - interesting. There were some groups that always just caught my ear back in the day - Gin Blossoms, Live, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Better Than Ezra - always got radio play, hits but never quite top tier, and sometimes the interesting stuff was stuck on the album and rarely heard on radio or MTV, lots of great guitar and intriguing lyrics (usually). I still listen to them, in part because it’s hard to find stuff now that really catches my perhaps curmudgeonly ear now. Darn kids….shakes fist at spy balloon…..

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IKR? Those darn neighbor kids and their wacky spy balloons! Got one stuck in my ceiling fan just last week!

Thanks, Michael, for the linkage! Loving me some Toad! If you ever do a piece on them, please allow me to contribute. As much as I'd love to do a tribute to a handful of their songs (in particular, "All I Want"), it may not happen......hitching a ride on your Substack bumper might be just the thing! Cheers!

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Nicely done, Michael! Love your choice of Gin Blossoms tracks for your 'List.....while most lean on "Jealousy," as their GB cut d'jour, I've always favored "Found Out About You," even to the point of giving it the frequent karaoke spin in the latter half of the last decade. Always loved the understated guitar play, and the harmonies. I'd frequently sing harmony parts at karaoke, whether or not the lead was covered on the track (it usually wasn't of course, being karaoke! That didn't stop me!)

I like that Cockburn track, too. Never spent much time listening to him before (I know he's Canadian...that much I remember from the rock mags back in the day!), but again, the guitar on this one is janglingly attractive!

And, while I've never heard of The Why Store, I enjoy their song, although the lead singer's voice would be an acquired taste (to me, at least). But, the guitars are tasty....again....I'm spotting a trend, my well-fretted friend!

If I may be so bold, Michael, I think your readers might appreciate my deep dive into the recording of Iggy's "Lust for Life" and "The Idiot " (and part of Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy") from 1977 in West Berlin, if you don't mind me dropping the link: https://bradkyle.substack.com/p/pressing-the-flesh-with-iggy-pop

Many thanks, Michael, and I enjoyed your peek into The Ig (I've even sung "The Passenger" in karaoke)!

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I’d never heard of The Why Store either, they (I assume it’s a “they”, dunno) just popped up in the recommended list on Spotify when I was putting together that playlist. If they’re relatively new, they kinda had that same upfront guitar sound and I liked it enough to hit “add”.

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Yep, they're a band, mostly '90s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Why_Store, so that decade explains why I never heard of 'em!

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LOL - you’re going to hate next week’s what I’m listening 2 playlist....

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Like a whole banana🍌, I find that hard to swallow! I'm as flexible as Gumby, though some say not as green. I eagerly await your 'List, and like I usually seem to do, find new faves to add to my 'List!

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Researched - definitely not new - formed 80’s, around for a long time - lead singer’s voice reminds me (perhaps not unsurprisingly) of Ed Kowalczyk, lead singer/founder of Live.

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Hit comment instead of reply, sounds like I was talking to myself while shaking fist at contrails….or maybe I was….

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